AMD Unveils R7 & R9 GPUs: R9 290X “Our Most Powerful GPU Yet”

Updated: September 25, 2013

All eyes are on Hawaii as AMD makes the announcement of their new videos cards and the new technology surrounding them and even though we did not make it in person we still have the news covered for you here today. AMD is also doing something a little bit different as well this time around by announcing all the new Sku’s at one time in lieu of announcing them as they release, which is not AMD’s usual forte.

We will see two new product lines hit the market this time around – the R7 and R9. The R7 is aimed at the lower end and entry level market and the R9 is geared for the mainstream and enthusiast market. AMD is attacking on both fronts at once and that should prove to be interesting to say the least. Some noticeable differences will be in the fact that AMD clearly wants you to know that certain cards will have certain features and that not all will be the same as far as what is under the hood.The high-end R9 products are supposed to support the latest version of Direct3D 11.2 by way of GCN, but thus far no word on whether the R7 Sku’s will also be 11.2 compliant so there is a bit of grey area in that respect,.Audio is something that video cards are not traditionally known for, is also a new feature of the R7 260X, R9 290, and R9 290X cards from AMD and things like positional audio are becoming more and more prevalent and those cards will now offer a fully programmable Audio Engine-True Audio Technology that will be available on certain cards.

In the past they added programmable shaders that revolutionized gaming graphics, in the same way True Audio will revolutionize game audio, hear more real time voices and channels in a game, enables directional audio over any output. For now True Audio will be available on the R7 260, R9 290 and the R9 290x. You will not however se this on the R9 270X or R9 280X. So it’s likely that some of the chips in this stack are rebadged/rebranded Southern Islands (7000 series) parts, though it’s not clear which are what.This new technology is something neat and AMD has already partnered with numerous gaming/media companies to implement the code in new games.

Yesterday we brought you a leak of AMD’s new flagship card the R9 290X and that card has been confirmed today as being AMD’s top contender. AMD has not officially announced all the specs as of yet, but there are a few key things we do know. The 290X will come equipped with 4GB of memory, with a total memory bandwidth of over 300GB/sec, which assuming they implement a 512-Bit memory bus would put memory clockspeeds at equal to or greater than 4.7GHz.AMD is also claiming the card is very powerful quoting 5 TFLOPs of GPU performance is to be had on the R9 290X. Everyone is holding onto their hats though as AMD still did not reveal the actual street price of this card unlike some of the others this launch.No actual name has been officially given to the R9 290X GPU as of yet. But AMD has already confirmed that it has more than 6 billion transistors; which would sandwich it between Tahiti and NVIDIA’s GK110 in transistor count. Right below the R9 290X comes its little brother the 280X, a 3GB solution coming it at $299.99, followed by the R9 270X at $199.99. AMD has been a bit ambiguous about what GPU will be used in the 280X, or 270X, but from the single benchmark 3DMark Firemark it shows the 280X card scoring better than 6800. Altogether there a 5 new cards being launched with pricing ranging from the low $89.99 level up to whatever the R9 290X will sell for when announced. The 270X scored over 5500 in Firestrike just for a performance bar and reference point.

At the bottom of the heap we have the other cards in the bunch the R7 gang, which consists of the R7 260X and R7 250 parts. The 260 is a 2 GB card that will hit the market at $139.99 and the introductory R7 250 is a very low $89.99 that is affordable by almost any gamer. With new technologies to drive the gaming world AMD is coming back with a vengeance and with them being the sole VGA solution on all console games this gives AMD an edge they have never had before and if they strategically play their cards right they can leave NVIDIA shut out of a few places meaning AMD can continue to build better relations between themselves, the game developers and the gamers I see 2014 being a pretty good year from AMD. I have already been confirmed for multiple review samples so have no fears we will soon have cards in house that we can bring you all the glorious details on. Thanks for reading Tech Of Tomorrow, are you as excited about these cards as we are? If so lets hear your thoughts and comments down below, where we always appreciate your interaction.

Source: PCPer

YoMahHudda

Is the R9 290X faster than the hd 7990?
- Thespyware
  
  “Our most powerful gpu yet”
  - Azix
    
    single GPU
- SoldManX
  
  it’s supposed to be faster than both 7990 and GTX titan
  - VinnyRealm
    
    it is…
- http://www.indraemc.blogspot.com/ Indra Emc
  
  maybe not, since HD 7990 are Dual Gpu card, but surely it faster than Nvidia GTX TITAN, since R9 290X are claimed to be “Fastest single GPU card” in this time.
  - NintendoNoob
    
    But the titan can score 10,000 on firestrike while the 290x can supposedly score 8,000. But then again, AMD will be optimized for blockbuster games like BF4
    - http://www.indraemc.blogspot.com/ Indra Emc
      
      when overclocked, yes… titan score more than 10k.
      
      but remember, GTX Titan is $1000 and R9 290X supposedly only cost 500 – 600 (or i can say, with less amount of money and get 80-90% of GTX TITAN performance)
      - NintendoNoob
        
        Well good for that, I just hope that AMD has improved with heat and wattage, the 7990 was dangerously hot and took up a lot of watts
- caleb
  
  Fastest single gpu I think so it will be better than the 7970 for sure
- Bill Johnson
  
  Well the 7990 is 2 7970s on a single PCB, so it’s essentially 2 7970s in SLI, which would most likely beat the R9 290X.
  So I doubt it.
Nick Avloshenko

Im really hoping to sell my 6970, an arm and a leg and get the R9 290X. I wonder how it will be for litecoin mining
Jean C. Fernandez

HOW MUCH $$$$$$$
- Nick Avloshenko
  
  for the 290X, noone knows yet but they expect it to be around $600
John smith

will the r9 270x be about the same level as a hd 7950? I’m building a new computer soon and i can find a 7950 for $180, but if I wait a little for the price to drop and because the power comsumption will hopefully be less, is the 270x worth it?
- Michael
  
  It will probably be a Re-Branded 7950. It will give more power and less heat and will be around the same price as a 7950.
- http://www.indraemc.blogspot.com/ Indra Emc
  
  i can say R9 270X are “updated version” of HD 7950, and R9 280X are updated version of HD 7970, for performance, didn’t really change so much (5 to 15% increase) and have a similar price.
  
  you better wait for R9 270X rather than buy HD 7950 since it’s a same price but have a little bit power (not much, but better than HD 7950)
  - Shinkueagle
    
    And how can you claim “for performance, didn’t really change so much (5 to 15% increase)”??
    
    Have you actually benchmarked the cards to give such conclusive claims?
    
    If you have, share the love and show us your benchies will ya?
    - http://www.indraemc.blogspot.com/ Indra Emc
      
      You see AMD also share their 3D mark firestrike score, according that score you can compare to this generation graphic card.
      
      For example, HD 7970 GHZ edition have a 6500+ 3DMark Firestrike Graphic Score, and R9 280X have a similar score (6800+ Graphic Score on 3DMark Firestrike)
      - Shinkueagle
        
        So one benchmark (not even a “real world” test) is sufficient enough for you to make conclusive claims?
        
        Ok… Whatever floats your boat…
      - http://www.indraemc.blogspot.com/ Indra Emc
        
        Because there is nothing we can do about it, it wasn’t release yet, even after release, still you need a better driver.
        
        i’m not a fanboy but according to “that 3DMark Score”, new R9 series GPU didn’t really “FAR FAR SUPERIOR” than it predecessor.
      - Shinkueagle
        
        If you say so.
        
        Most wise people would tend to hold of their conclusions until they see the WHOLE picture clearly and not make them when they only had a glimpse of it… Even more so, make sure that their conclusion/s are clear and concise to avoid confusion or misunderstanding…
  - Lucasino8
    
    But why, if the 270X is an updated version of a 7950, does it only have 2GB VRAM and not 3GB like the 7950 does. Also DICE recommends 3GB for BF4.
    - http://www.indraemc.blogspot.com/ Indra Emc
      
      let me tell you, that was not a “Final Specs” anything could change at anytime.
      
      you only need more than 2 GB of frame buffer if you’re playing game with super-high resolution such as 2560×1440 or 3840×2160, if you’re just playing game @1920×1080, even 1 GB is already enough.
Interrogator

I hope they arent longer than 9.5 inches…
- Andrejs Silvans
  
  the 280x and 290x most likely will be. The higher end cards usually are pretty long.
  - Interrogator
    
    shite
    my case barely holds my 670 which is 10.5 inches long
    god, so much innuendos
Kenjionigod

AMD has me pretty excited. Now, I’m kind of glad I held off building my rig.
- AndTheBeatsGoesWAHBAHBAHWUBWUB
  
  Same dude, been holding back for 2 months.
  - Siedlik
    
    Same here dude, been holding back for 240 months – 20 years.
- The Jackal
  
  And i’m still sitting here, running my GTX550TI, $600 dollars in hand. Patiently waiting for video card prices to go down…
Zakaria Ridaoui

Think that AMD give a huge slap to Nvidia .. nd i m gonna waiting for those cards nd may be i’ll pik an R9 280X
- MapRef41N93W
  
  Congrats to AMD on slapping around cards that were released 6 months ago. They can enjoy it for a few weeks, as when the Ultra Titan/790s are released they go right back to being behind the curve like they have for the past 4 years.
Jean

Should I buy 2 R9-280X or 1 R9-290X for Eyefinity gaming at 5760×1080 gaming. I want to be able to get maximum fps possible and my budget is $600.
- Jason
  
  You can probably buy the R9-290x for 600 and upg to another one when you need it. Just saying I’ve have problems with xfire or sli in the past.
- Ryan Terribile
  
  IMO, more powerful single card > 2 weaker cards, always.
- you know how it is
  
  for multi monitor setup 2 280X would exceed 1 290X since there is increased VRAM
  - Colin
    
    VRAM doesnt stack in Crossfire or SLI, meaning it only uses one of the cards VRAM
Guest

Hmm now that this released i may get they R9 280X instead of the 7970 like i was planning..
KsnNwk .

Now, that’s great info. I can probably get R9-290 instead of GTX 770 for almost same price….or if 770 price goes down. I can get it for cheaper, the hardware wars are great!
- MapRef41N93W
  
  Umm no. The R9-290x is expected to be minimum 600$ and possibly much more since that price point was released when the card was expected to be much weaker than it is.
- The Jackal
  
  Adding to what MapRef said, you must remember that ATI Radeon’s (yes I said ATI) driver based software is a disaster at the moment. Unfortunately, ATI may stay as the underdog to NVIDIA. Also, the GTX 770 is in my opinion the best GPU for the performance, and the price. Do not make the mistake of purchasing different card — you will regret it later.
  - TechHog
    
    What about people who can’t afford a 770?
    - The Jackal
      
      You’re looking right at one. It took me about 4 months to get together the $600 dollars I have now, i’m just waiting for prices to go down. The point was, that the GTX 770 is worth every dollar you pay, and it doesn’t matter if you can’t afford it, because it’s never to late to start saving. You just have to be patient, for the last 3 years iv’e been using a GTX550TI which still works like a charm, but I must move on. I can’t wait to get a new GPU, i’ve been so tempted in the last couple of weeks to just go and get one, but my instincts are telling me that soon prices will drop with the release of the Radeon series and the new Geforce cards. I never thought it was in my price range either, but now i’m ready, I just have to be patient.
      - TechHog
        
        If you’re gonna save like that you might as well go the whole way and get a 780.
iostream

awesome cant wait to get my hands on the r9 290x, should just keep that name i like it
Heisenberg

Is the 280K or the 270K better than the 7950?
s007v

Performance should be
R9 270X -> ~ 7950
R9 280X -> ~ 7970
R9 290X -> ~ 7990 or similar
- Interrogator
  
  I compared the GTX670 which score in 3dmark is 5544 made the calculus, comparing the 3dmark scores of the 280X (around 6650) and the 280X is 20% better, did the same with the 290X (Around 8000) and the 290X is 44% better, so we can call it a Titan killer.
- Yeah I’m a Guest.
  
  Based on the Fire Strike scores, I’d say the R7 260X is somewhere between the 7950 and 7970, while the 270X is close to the 7970, and the 280X and 290X are in between the 7970 and 7990. Or the 290X could be better/close to the 7990.
  - Just saying
    
    7990 is a dual gpu card..
    - SoldManX
      
      and the R9 290X is supposed to be faster than the 7990
Mason Galland

R8?
- Shinkueagle
  
  V8 or V10? GT or Plus? =)
Cthulhu

Now we wait for Nvidia to showcase the 800 series.
- Chicken
  
  And then wait for the AMD 300, then GTX 900.
  It’s never ending 0.o.
- lol
  
  in 2 years
  - John Mellinger
    
    more like next year
charliestark98

They look kinda ugly
- l3git23
  
  there oem cards, who cares
Godzilla

Sound more than interesting. I hope AMD will start making good cpus too, because we need decent competition in this segment of the market.
okeoke

my hd 7870 xt also has a score of 5500 and its 210 dollars, not a big improvement AMD
Norrland

This hype sounds great and all that, but we can’t forget the fact that AMD have done this everytime. They say a bunch of stuff that sound GREAT on paper and the word “best” is being thrown around alot by them, i think Nvidia will clean the floor with these cards once there new series get released. Not to talk about driver issues by the “red team” while the “green team” have had there drivers stable for years now, yeah they will be the “best” cards on release but dont get your hopes up for a long term “winning over your your friends” status if they are for team Nvidia.
- Shinkueagle
  
  “Not to talk about driver issues by the “red team” while the “green team” have had there drivers stable for years now,”
  
  – Really? FANBOY MUCH?
  
  – Dude do your research before you start spewing that awful crap coming from your mouth… So your actually saying Nvidia has NEVER had driver issues in the past few years?? LOL!!!
  
  GOOGLE up: “nvidia driver issues” – Then maybe, if your fanboyism hasn’t turned you either blind or retarded, you will wake up from your “Oh so perfect Nvidia world”….
Gclef101

HI I am really interested in the R9 290X. I a few questions about the audio that AMD annouced at the event (TrueAudioTechnology). Did they say that this audio processing is going to be done by a chip on the video card?

I was looking into getting some new headphones. Maybe I should wait till Elric does a hands on review and overview of the product. If the sound comes out via HDMI then how would I use my headphones? If the video card is processing the sound could I still use my Creative Labs sound card and still get the True Audio Technology? I use Optical out to my receiver for a 5.1/7.1 signal. I just have a lot of question in regards to this. I hope TOT can help! They have always been really good, thanks again!!!
John smith

How can AMD rebrand a two year old graphics card (hd 7950)? I mean come on, I’ve been waiting so long.
- Shinkueagle
  
  What do you mean “REBRAND”?? Did you even read the article? Wait… Can you even read?
  
  If you can… READ THIS:
  
  “it’s likely that some of the chips in this stack are rebadged/rebranded Southern Islands (7000 series) parts, though it’s not clear which are what.”
  
  So how did you, with “pin-point accuracy”(I may add), know it’s the 7950???
  - John smith
    
    Because the 7950 has a 3d firestrike score of about 5500? No need for such aggressiveness man.
ssj12

Kepler still has one disabled cluster… GTX Titan Ultra is still rumored to be Nvidia’s backup card.

Still buying a GTX 780 eventually.
Freak

well, these cards didn’t impress me so I ordered my gtx 780.
AKAOx

Im getting off the Intel and switching myself.. Just because I like the way AMD is heading..Just taken back by how down to earth this huge company has been towards us consumers over the past year. Just don’t see Intel doing that at the moment.?
- The Jackal
  
  When AMD began, Intel was already about 15 years ahead, in terms of technology and development. AMD’s founders and creators insisted that if they rapidly develop new technology, they would be able to overtake Intel. The foundations of AMD consists of some very inspiring people, who believed that they could take on tasks no one thought was possible. AMD is rapidly growing, and is becoming more advanced as time progresses. Soon, we will see that AMD is the way to go in terms of CPUs, and APUs.
The Jackal

It seems as if i’m the the only person on the planet that still says “ATI Radeon”.
Arian Woldach

nvidia and intel FTW!
De Nii

AND THAT CARD IS ONE MORE AMD FAIL
Shinkueagle

/RANT

Here are a few comments from “GPU Gurus” here:

– “for performance, didn’t really change so much (5 to 15% increase)”
– “you better wait for R9 270X rather than buy HD 7950 since it’s a same price but have a little bit power (not much, but better than HD 7950)”
– “well, these cards didn’t impress me so I ordered my gtx 780″

WHY DO SOME PEOPLE HERE TALK LIKE THEY HAVE TESTED/BENCHMARKED THE CARDS???

Not even Elrich, heck NOT even the big players like Toms and Anand have gotten their hands on the hardware yet let alone test them!! And these “GPU Gurus” talk like then know what they are saying???

Reminds me of fresh grads from university thinking that they are better than the ones with PhDs or Doctorates that are in the same field as them! I consider people like those “RETARDS” imho! SMARTASSES pretending to know something of which they are completely CLUELESS about! They learned a little about something now they talk like they KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT IT???

COMPLETE AND UTTER STUPIDITY!

/END RANT
- Freak
  
  chill meng chill
  Have you ever heard of first impressions? well based on what I saw during the live stream they didn’t impress me. end of story. i didn’t say anything performance wise. the r9 290x can turn out to be better than the titan, but it can also turn out to be worse than the Titan. No one said how it performs, because that is still unkown. Go smack the ones saying the r9 290x will be almost as good as the 7990. They are the stupid ones.
  
  Go see a doctor, seems you have some issues if you reacted like that
femhundring

i will buy the 290x and i can promise EVERY gtx 780 owner in the world i will have a faster card maybe same price … it will be a nice card i know it!
snake8989

The fixer .